The Devil's Toys
by BohemianRebel
Summary: Keela Scargill is a demon slayer, who is befriended with Dante and Nero. One day, she is abducted, and the boys chase across foreign land to get her back... but how will they react when they find out they both very much like the girl?
1. Chapter 1

The Devil's Toys

**Chapter 1**

The sword glistened in the sunlight as it came down, letting crimson blood dance in the air. Bodies dropped on the floor or dissolved in midair. Deformed heads and limbs hit the ground as the dance of death continued.

The choreographer of the dance was me, Keela Scargill. I was wielding my sword passionately, though I was an amateur. I watched the demons close in and danced around gracefully, almost without fear. No visible fear, anyway.

'Oww! Fuck!' One of the demons had ripped my arm open. Not severely, but it was my right arm, my sword arm. Goddammit!

I knew this wasn't very good. Stubborn as I am, I wasn't going to admit it, but this was definitely going the wrong way. I backed up, and after a few steps I felt a wall in my back. _Crap._

The demons closed in again, they're ugly faces triumphing. Stupid creatures. I swung my sword at one who came too close and slashed off an arm. I felt a grin find its way up my face when the creature stepped back, howling. I wouldn't die today!

My sword flashed again, and four demons reached their end. The sun shone happily above my head, and sweat was running down my neck and back. 'Could somebody help me!'

'You need help?'

I looked up towards the direction of the sound and felt relief wash through me. Nero landed in front of me, blue coat waving from the speed of his fall. His white hair was familiar, and his blue eyes shone with delight. His beautiful, big sword, Red Rose, roared with delight as Nero worked up the engine inside it. With one big slash the closest demons were in pieces, and Nero pressed his back against the wall next to me. 'How did you get into this mess?'

'Long story,' I answered. I felt sweat drop down my neck and sighed. 'Can you get me out of here?'

Nero grinned his crooked grin. 'Of course. But don't you want to do this all by yourself? You tend to know how to fix problems alone.'

I stuck my sword in a demons stomach and smashed it into another one who came to close. 'Shut up and get us out of here!'

Demons were still appearing. How many of these creeps were there? Could we do this alone?

'Did someone request a rescuer?'

I looked to my right, surprised, and saw another flash of white hair, this time accompanied by a red cloak. 'Dante!'

The crystal eyes focused on me briefly. 'Hiya. Couldn't get sissyboy here take all the credit, now, could I?'

Nero smiled at the more experienced demon hunter while decapitating an especially ugly specimen of demon. 'Wanna make a competition out of it?'

Dante, the gorgeous half-demon, the never-serious, always-cheeky man who had saved my life more than once jumped up and in a brilliant maneuver stomped on the head of a beast, flipped in the air and killed two more. 'Always. And I'm ahead of you.'

Nero laughed, voice raspy from excitement. 'Let's see about that!'

I slowly let myself slide down the wall I started to befriend and ripped the sleeve of my shirt in halves. They wouldn't be needing me. As they jumped away, luring the demons away from me, I started to bandage my bleeding arm.

I glanced up shortly to see the fiery teen and cheeky man stand back to back, surrounded by enemies. A tired smile lit up my face. _Well, guess they saved my ass. Again._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

'74!' Dante pulled his sword out of the last demon he had just slain and swung it over his shoulder. 'You tired yet, rookie?'

Nero twisted his own blade even deeper into a body and sagged onto the ground. 'Of course not,' he answered, though he was clearly heaving.

Dante sat down opposite to Nero, using one of the bodies as a chair. 'Well? How many did you send to oblivion?'

Nero grinned, looking young and cheeky. '76.'

Dante stopped breathing for a second. 'You… Good call, kid. Good call.'

I sighed as I walked towards them. They were so young and full of life… Okay, I was younger than Nero, but who cares? They were very, very immature and always took risks. But… I had to agree, that was what made life interesting.

'So, guys, how did you find me?' I asked, curious. Had they been following me? Or had they just sensed I was in trouble? They definitely had a thing for finding me when I needed them. Though they never came together, I was sure it was something they had arranged. Or it was just a very scary coincidence.

The boys smiled at me. Dante aimed his crystal eyes at me and pulled up an eyebrow. 'We always find you.'

Nero laughed softly and stood up. While he patted my (wounded) arm, he said, 'Don't you want us to find you?'

I probably wasn't going to get any answers today. I shook my head and sheathed my sword. 'Well... let's go. Could I stay at yours for a while, Dante?'

Nero looked disappointed, but I dismissed that as a competitive attitude. Dante looked pretty pleased and sheathed his own big sword. 'Of course. Wanna sleep in the bed or on the couch?'

I knew what was coming. 'If I sleep in the bed, you won't sleep on the couch, am I right?'

Dante just grinned and shrugged.

'I'll take the couch.' A cheeky grin darkened my face when Dante looked disappointed. 'Well… your miss, babe.'

Nero's hand was still on my arm, and it started to hurt a bit. I took his hand and dropped it off my arm in a sweeping motion. 'Nero, how do you manage to tap the _one_ spot that hurts?'

He grinned his charming grin, blue eyes blazing with joy. 'It's a gift.'

'Fine.' It felt great being with the guys again. I hadn't seen them in a month. We were demon slayers, the three of us. Dante had his own office, but Nero and I were freelancers. We didn't stick together, but went our own ways. How we had met? A laugh escaped my mouth when I thought of our first meeting. Back then, I had been three years younger, and my brown hair had been short, my dark brown eyes young and full of innocence. A lot had changed since that time.

Anyway, I had seen demons my entire life. I hated them. Despised them. So, one day, I took a big kitchen knife from the butcher's, went searching and hacked the first one I saw to oblivion. Sounds gruesome? It wasn't. I just killed him, it wasn't like I tore the thing apart limb by limb. But his blood had drawn other demons to the place. I killed them all.

When Nero found me, I was wounded. The knife had slipped out of my bloodied hand, and I was seated somewhere between the bodies and dust of the dissolved ones, sobbing. Nero had been nineteen, and I fifteen. He'd been shocked, he'd never seen someone my age kill a bunch of demons with a small-time weapon and _survive_ it. So, figuring I was special, he had taken me to Dante's office. Dante's coworkers hadn't been happy, but Dante was the boss, and he decided to teach me some stuff. For over a year, I'd been with him. Nero was always around, when I needed him or not. They were my friends. They had never asked for my background, and I had never asked for theirs. But with time came knowledge. I had learned of the history of Dante's and Nero's relationship, them being enemies once, rivals now.

After the year had finished, I had left, but I always returned after a while. Piecing together my armor and weapons had been expensive, but a learning progress. Unlike Dante and Nero, I didn't have demon blood, so fighting was a little more difficult for me then it was for them. But I had always managed my own. Except when I got overexcited and challenged too many demons at once. There had been times I had been very close to death, but somehow Dante or Nero (mostly both) had always managed to come to my rescue at the perfect time. After half a year I had stopped wondering how.

Did I have feelings for the boys? Well… maybe. Nero was young and energetic, and always made me laugh. Dante, on the other hand, was experienced and cheeky, and had a slight air of arrogance around him that suited him very well. Was I ever going to choose? No. Never. Was I ever going to get involved with one of them?

Maybe.

Would I ever let them down?

Not if I could help it. These fellows were my best friends and the only ones I valued highly. My parents? That's a story for another day.

'Keela, you're bleeding,' Nero remarked, breaking through my strain of thoughts.

I looked at my arm and saw blood trickle down from under the home-made bandage. 'How did that happen, I wonder?'

Nero smiled guiltily. 'No idea. Maybe you were clumsy.'

I shoved him softly, with hardly any effect. 'Of course. Blame it on the girl.' I looked around. 'Shall we… uhm… shall we go to your office, Dante? The bodies are starting to smell.'

Dante shrugged and started walking. 'Okay. But I warn you, it's not very neat when Trish isn't around.'

'Where is she?' I asked, curious. I liked Trish.

'Somewhere in… a town I don't know. She'll get back.' He didn't seem worried. Then again, Dante never seemed worried about anything. Even in the most hazardous situations, he was cheeky and joking. Sometimes it came in handy. Mostly, it was plain annoying.

'You staying, kid?'

Nero looked at Dante sideways. 'No, old man. I'm on a mission. But I'll come with you for a short time. I won't sleep, or I'll wake up covered in pizza or something.'

His tone told me that had obviously happened before. When I glanced at Dante, he was one big muscled block of innocence. With a giant sword sheathed on his back. And blood spatters on his clothes.

Suddenly the picture made me laugh. I laughed out loud, but winced when my arm hurt. Then I giggled and put my hand in front of my mouth.

'What's so funny?' Dante asked, still as innocent as ever.

I took a deep breath. 'Nothing. It's nothing.'

Dante started walking without looking at me, but I saw his smile just as he turned away. A silence fell as we walked on for a short while. Then Dante had to break it.

'Hey kid, you looked really good with pizza all over, you now? Real tasty.'  
I stepped aside just as Nero flung himself at Dante. 'AAH!'


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes**: This chapter has not a lot of action in it, but it is essential for the story. Remember, I try to describe the characters of Nero and Dante as best as I can, but believe me, it isn't easy. Hope you enjoy it!

**Chapter 3**

'Keela?'

We had almost reached Dante's office. I was battered and tired. The boys seemed fine. Glancing at Nero I was a little taken aback at how broad his shoulders had become. I mean, they had been broad before, but now… also, he seemed older than last time I saw him. His handsome face showed some lines it hadn't shown two months before.

'Yes?'

Nero put his hands behind his head. 'How come you're back so early? I expected you around in the next month or so, but not now.'

I touched my arm briefly. 'I had something I needed to show you. I will show you when we get to the office, but... first I would like to sleep.'

Suddenly Dante jumped ahead, and I realized we had reached our destination. When I looked up from the ground, which, in my tired state, had seemed very inviting, I saw Dante lying on top of the sign which read, _Devil May Cry_, the name of Dante's business.

The muscled man was lying on one side, one arm under his head and one of his legs over the other. It was one of his famous poses, and he did whenever he saw fit. Which could be anytime, really. Even when he was fighting an enemy, he could just start a posing session when he was in a playing mood.

'Get down here, old man,' Nero called, beckoning rudely. 'You're supposed to show us around, remember?'

Dante made a disdainful sound, a sort of snort, and jumped down, almost landing on Nero. 'Yeah, yeah... Come on in. The party's inside.'

I shook my head while following him. The little fights between the two of them were very, very entertaining to watch.

A few minutes later we were sitting in the middle of what had to be the biggest pile of clothes, pizza and other stuff combined I had ever seen. I had managed to find the couch in the pile of rubbish and was sitting on it with my legs up while I attended to my wound. I had already cleaned it and right now Nero was putting a bandage on the scrape. It was a big scrape, there were two big red lines starting at my upper arm, down my elbow and stopped about halfway down my lower arm. It hurt a bit, but now that it was cleaned, it would heal soon.

'So, Keela, what did you want to show us?' Dante was seated on his office chair, with his legs up on his desk. He seemed as relaxed as he could be.

While I rummaged in my pocket Nero seated himself on the other side of the couch, legs crossed the guy way. Their presence was comforting, as always. I found what I was looking for and took it out of my pocket, holding it in my open palm.

Nero bent forward to look at it, a frown on his face. Dante barely reacted, but I saw his eyes widen briefly. I was holding a small stone circle (at least I thought it was stone, but I wasn't sure) with a strange symbol in blue on it I had never seen before. It was some kind of flame with a line straight through it. Even though I had never seen it before, it felt familiar.

Nero was still observing the little tablet, confusion in his eyes. 'What is it? I... recognize it from somewhere.'

'You recognize it because of your demon blood.'

My breath stopped for a moment. I didn't have demon blood. Why did I recognize this? I glanced up at Dante, and startled. He was standing right in front of me. He had used his full speed, which didn't happen often. He took the small tablet from my hand and played around with it for a bit. 'This,' he said slowly while throwing the stone circle up and catching it again, 'is the symbol of Sparda. Our father,' he added with a little bow towards Nero.

I was even more stumped. Why the _hell_ would I recognize that thing? I had never been part demon. I had never come in contact with Sparda. Not even close. (Well, if you didn't count being close to Nero and Dante, who had Sparda's blood.)

'Guys?' I started, wanting some clarity. 'I recognize it from somewhere, though I don't know from where.' I smiled at Nero nervously. 'Just like you.'

Nero obviously didn't understand this. He stood up and kicked away an empty pizza box. 'But... you don't have demon blood. Or did we miss something?'

I was just as stumped as he was. 'I'm sure I don't, Nero.'

'Or it just hasn't awoken yet.' Dante looked at me with an unreadable face, which equalled him being worried. …I thought. You could never be sure with the half-demon.

'No…' I shook my head. 'I'm not nearly as powerful as you, or as skilled, and my father is someone else.'

Dante returned the tablet to me and put his foot on the couch next to my legs. 'Keela, listen.'

Rarely had I seen Dante so serious. It scared me a little. This was big, it had to be.

'It is possible you do have demon blood, and it is asleep. Or there is something else about you, except for you beautiful smile.' He shrugged. 'Or maybe you just saw it somewhere before.' He smiled his brilliant smile and patted my head, making me take on a tired expression. 'But let's focus on the other important question at hand. Kid?'

Nero looked at his rival with a confused look in his eyes. 'Huh?'

Dante was as patient as a teacher trying to explain something simple to her students. 'What is the important question that needs to be asked?'

Nero stared at him suspiciously. Dante smiled sweetly and blinked a few times. I snorted and turned away my head.

'Oh, right!' Nero sounded smug. 'Where did you find that symbol?'

I had a strong urge to say, _on the stone_,but I suppressed it. This was important. 'I took it from a demon.'

Dante took out his one of his guns (Ivory) and started playing with it. I knew he did this when slightly agitated. 'What kind of demon?'

I started to feel a little intimidated, the two of them so close to me. I could deal with Dante, but Nero was frowning at me. He seemed mad at me, though I knew that wasn't true. I buried the feeling somewhere deep inside of me. They meant me no harm. 'It was a talking one.'

Dante twirled his gun around expertly, asking, 'Was he strong? Wings? Swords? Claws?'

I pulled a face when I remembered my fight against the demon. With his horns, yellow eyes and black skin he had been very scary… and annoying. He just kept on talking, and wouldn't stop. So I had stopped him from blabbing my ears off the only way I could. I sliced his head off. But the fight had left me injured, and I had been forced to rest for a while, much to my annoyance.

'Pretty strong, yeah. But stupid. It kept talking about him being strong, and that he was going to kill me, but he never really did it.' I frowned when trying to remember the fight. 'I took this thing off of him when he was dead.'

'Any chance he mentioned why he carried it with him?' Nero asked after he sat down on the couch again.

I shook my head. 'No.'

Dante smiled his not-so-innocent smile. 'That would have been too easy, now, wouldn't it? Now we can chase the source.' He straightened up and clapped his hands. 'It'll be fun!' His inner child came out once again, and I felt myself smile.

Nero pulled up one eyebrow but smiled slightly. He liked a good hunt himself, no doubt about it. In fact, in his excitement, smoke and a faint light started to come from his right arm, his demon arm. When in full battle mode, Nero's right arm became iridescent blue mixed with brown patches of scale and it was incredibly strong.

Dante had the same, but then with his left arm, and instead of blue and brown it was black and red. But he used it less often than Nero. He didn't need it as often.

I yawned and suddenly realized how weary I was. The cut on my arm hurt, and it needed to heal. 'Guys, I would really like some sleep.' Glancing out the window I saw it was dark already. 'So… can we go to sleep?'

Dante exchanged a look with Nero, and the younger man nodded. 'Sure. Sleep well, Keela.' He turned around and raised his hand in goodbye before walking out the door.

I rubbed my face and stared at the couch I was seated on. It was covered in rubbish. But I could handle that. If I had slept on very muddy ground next to a corpse (don't ask) then I could sleep in this mess as well.

'Keela.' Dante's voice sounded softer than before. I looked up and saw him standing sideways, not looking at me directly. His face looked beautiful but older en profile. 'Go sleep in the bed.' He tilted his head towards the door which led to the bedchamber.

I stood up slowly, picking up my sword from the couch. 'Well…' No matter how selfish it was to take up on the offer, I really wasn't up for arguing. 'Okay.' I strolled past Dante, feeling comfortable in his presence once again. I paused for a moment. 'You're not going to surprise me some part of the night, are you?'

I instinctively felt his smile before I saw it. 'Maybe. Dream well, babe.'

After I had done my things (brushed my teeth, rubbed my face clean, undressed, brushed my hair – not necessarily in that order) I slipped into the big bed and closed my eyes. A wave of ease passed over me. It was a long time since I had slept in a regular bed.

The last thought that crept through my mind was that I wouldn't really mind if Dante would come in in the middle of the night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes: **Again, not so much action, but very much necessary. Enjoy ;)

**Chapter 4**

I woke up in a way I had never woken up before. Voices en shouts were all around me – nothing new.

Bodies moved around me busily, all with haste and purposes – nothing new there.

I felt endangered and threatened – I had woken up that before.

But there was a gun pushed against my temple. That was new.

I opened my eyes, feeling scared and hating it. The first person I saw was the man sitting on top of me, the one holding the gun. He had a grim expression on his – utterly handsome – face.

While staring straight into his eyes, I knew I couldn't do anything. I was completely vulnerable. So I analyzed the situation and, especially, my captor. His skin was smooth and light, his chin was pointed. His cheekbones were high and stood out handsomely. His nose was straight, his eyebrows arched. His hair was black and slicked back in a way that I normally didn't like, but it suited him.

But the most handsome and strangest of all were his eyes. They were red with traces of yellow in them. They were just as beautiful as Dante's crystal eyes.

Dante!

I tried to look around, but the man (he was in the end of his twenties, I guessed) put his free hand under my chin and held my head still. 'Don't move.' His voice was deep and calm. In fact, he emitted a calm aura which kept me from feeling completely frightened.

Yes, I was still scared. What would you be?

I started to get annoyed, as well. What was going on? Why was I being forced to lay still like this? What did these guys want? Where was Dante? Was he okay? So many questions, but the answers weren't likely to come soon.

The man on top of me shifted a bit, but the gun never left my skin. I stared up at him with anger in my eyes, but he kept responding to my glare without expression.

One of the guys scurrying around the bed walked up to us. I didn't shift my gaze, but I heard him come.

'Sir, we found what you were looking for.'

The man (obviously in charge) kept staring into my eyes. Frankly, it was quite unnerving, to say the least. But I didn't want him to think I was weak by looking down.

'Excellent,' mister stare-down responded. 'Then we are done here.'

_Yes! Now get off me!_ But that pleasure wasn't to be mine immediately. Mister Boss smiled a small, crooked smile at me and blinked for the very first time. 'Now, will you behave like a good girl and come with us without struggling?'

I was stumped for a second. What did they want from me? They had obviously stolen something from me, and I immediately suspected that damn tablet. Never before had I been kidnapped because of some object I carried. It had to be that cursed thing.  
I considered my answer a little before smiling sweetish and blinking a couple of times. 'Can I put on my clothes?'

The man stood up in a fluid movement, and again, the gun didn't leave my temple. This guy was dangerous. 'Yes, you may. Be careful.'

As if I needed the warning. I knew I wasn't skilled enough to deal with this right now. There were just too many of them, and I wasn't going to do anything life-threatening until I figured out the goal of these men, and their skill level.

I sat up slowly, showing my hands and what I was doing. I was very glad I had kept on my bra while sleeping, because I was obviously not going to get any privacy. I pulled on my customized shirt, a black t-shirt based item with hardened padding protecting me from sword cuts modestly. It was one-sleeved and let bare my right shoulder because that way I could easily grab and swing my sword, usually sheathed on my back, but not now, obviously. I was proud of the shirt, and planned on customizing it with a plate of metal somewhere in the close future, but I guessed it had to wait.

Next I pulled on my pants, which were very comfortable and stretchy enough to let me do athletic movements without ripping them.

My boots were dark red and zipped, no heels, comfortable and practical. I wore one glove on my sword hand, a fingerless glove. Unlike Dante and Nero, I didn't have a cloak. Sure, they looked nice, but they were very annoying if you couldn't fight with them. I couldn't. So, I had a leather jacket, black with red and dark green finishes.

I put on my clothes sluggishly, giving myself time to think. Was Dante alright? _He can fend for himself,_ I thought while tugging on my boots. _He must be here… Is he captured? Will he be taken too? _

Some of the men (my abductors were all men) started to lose their patience. I was shoved hard in the back. A few men laughed and started to make remarks I won't repeat, which raised anger in me. When I got the chance, they would pay.

As soon as I was done dressing, Slick Guy took my arm and guided me to the living room, the gun in his hand loosely. And in the living room was –

'Dante!' I gasped softly. He was surrounded by four men and they had put handcuffs on him. Handcuffs! Normally he wouldn't let that happen!

He wasn't wounded as far as I could see, and his stance was relaxed and unworried. But close friends of him could see the strain in his jaw and his slightly clenched fists, and knew he wasn't feeling as comfortable as he looked.

When he saw me his eyes opened in alert. 'Are you okay?' His voice was as normal as can be, as if we were having this conversation over a pizza.

I nodded. 'Are you?'

He smiled. 'Couldn't be better.'

I closed my eyes in relief. Dante was alright. But why had he been captured so easily? How?

Slick Guy pulled me over to stand across from Dante. Then he gestured with the gun to me. 'Remember, half-demon, if you try to escape, she's hurt.'

Dante's eyes flashed in rage for just a second. Then he regained his calm expression. Now I knew how they had captured him. They had threatened to hurt me. Dante would never be impressed by a threat to him, because he was very hard to kill. He could take several bullets in the head and survive without a scratch. Same with Nero. Nero had once had a sword right through his stomach, and seconds later three lances in his chest, and he had survived easily. Demon blood had some advantages.

I, on the other hand, couldn't take those things. Put a bullet in my skull and I am dead, no doubt about it. That's why Dante had surrendered so easily. Not for himself, but for me.

I felt tears well up when I realized this. This was my fault… If only I wasn't such a weak human!

I bent my head and closed my eyes to hide the tears. I wouldn't let them see them. I wouldn't give them that pleasure.

'Say, friend, why are you taking her?' Dante asked, tilting his head a little. 'What purpose is so unimportant that you would let a valuable half-demon go and take a mere human?'

I tried not to be offended, and thankfully succeeded. Dante was trying to persuade them to take him with them as well... so they weren't planning on taking him? Of course, he was too dangerous. He could break those handcuffs without blinking. Just let his demon blood kick in. Then what were they going to do with him? And with me?

'No, brother,' my captor said. I started to wish I knew his name. 'You know we can't take you with us. You will be a nuisance.'

That almost made me laugh. Dante? A _nuisance?_ This man either was very powerful, or very stupid. I was afraid it was the first.

But then he lowered the gun, seemingly deep in thoughts. I looked up at his face. Was it on purpose or just plain stupid?

I made myself ready to jump up and kick the gun out of mister Slick's hand. Mentally playing out the move in my head I glanced at Dante, willing him to understand what I was doing, so he could pitch in –

But he shook his head. It was a very soft, very slight shake, but he unmistakably shook his head. I let go of my held-in breath. What? Dante knew more than I did.

The man beside me chuckled and pointed that stupid gun to my head again. 'Your friend is very considerate.'

I stared at him with fear in my stomach. He had caught that? He had seen that little wordless exchange? He was even more dangerous than I thought!

'Now, no further delay, you're coming with me,' he said to me, a smile in his voice and eyes. I almost felt relief when I saw that smile, it was so calm and sweet. But then he gently laid his hand on my shoulder and softly but firmly pushed me towards the door and I again realized that this man was very dangerous and that he was abducting me for unknown reasons.

How the hell was I going to get out of this mess if I didn't really know what got me in?

Notes: Let me know what you think of our mysterious abductor. I'm not sure I know all about him yet, but I wonder what you think. What should happen with him? Tell me your suggestions, please ^^


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes: **I hope this is the action you've all been waiting for. More about the mystery abductor, and a little information about why and how. Enjoy ;)

**Chapter 5**

_How are they going to get me out of here? Without someone noticing it?_ We were stepping out of the door into the darkness, the slick guy's hand still on my shoulder. I didn't think he was going to let me go.

I heard a strange sound somewhere behind me, followed by a male gasp. I jerked my head around, almost straining my neck, and saw Dante sag to the ground unconscious. 'Dante!' I yelled, feeling my last hopes flow away. Dante was being floored by these guys. I was doomed.

The hand on my shoulder squeezed my flesh softly. I looked up at my kidnapper's face and saw he was smiling at me warmly. It took all of my self control not to glare at him. What was with this guy? Why the fuck did he smile at me like that?

Right then, a car came from across the corner, and our escape right was apparent. A white limousine made its way toward us, in a high tempo. The tires screeched to a halt and eventually the car stopped directly in front of us. Mr. Slick opened the door of the backseats and pushed me in gently before getting in himself. The rest of the team went in front, or in the middle-section. Wait, middle section?

When I looked around, I saw the luxury surrounding us. Very comfortable seat, mini-fridges and things like that… so my abductor had money. Great to know.

The car door closed tightly behind us… and I was alone with the boss of the company. His hand finally released my shoulder and settled itself on the back of the couch. I tried to relax into one of the seats, but my body was tense. The man next to me was entirely comfortable, of course. He turned to me, his strange eyes boring into mine.  
The car started running and the man started talking. 'My name is Kieran. I am not the one who ordered this. That's all you need to know about me for now.' His red eyes were still staring into mine, again, without expression.

I opened my mouth to say something insulting, but he held up his hand and I automatically shut up. Kieran smiled a flash smile (without teeth, he always smiled without opening his mouth) and tilted his head slightly. 'So. Keela. I'm going to make a deal with you.'

My curiosity was roused, so I just listened carefully.

'You may ask óne question –' he held up his index finger to make himself even clearer '– every day. Some I will answer, others I won't. You may not elaborate, you may not try another question. Am I clear so far?'

I nodded, feeling tired. I never asked for this. Right now, I just wanted to go home and sleep. Even Dante's couch was very attractive at the moment.

Kieran eyed me with interest. Then he smiled warmly again. 'Good. Now. We will be travelling on foot for quite some time. This is slightly annoying, but necessary. While on foot, I know my men will be restless. But I promise you they won't hurt you. If they do, I will see to it personally that they are punished severely.' Kieran showed no emotion when he said that. He was very intimidating, and somehow non-human. His eyes were a big hint, but his aura and character were clues too. There was something about him that was off.

Kieran answered my stare without blinking. He wanted me to think through what he just said, that much was clear. Well, to do him a favor: he didn't want me to be hurt. The men under him (his men?) maybe did want to. He would protect me. That definitely made him different, but strangely enough it didn't make me warm up to Kieran. Probably because he had woken me with a gun to my head, the same gun now lying next to him on the couch.

Kieran smiled and started opening his blouse. His long, slim fingers elegantly played with each button before releasing it from its grip. I couldn't help but stare at the chest that was slowly revealed. It was like marble; white, hairless and sculpted with muscles, but it was also tainted with scars. I counted at least six scars running across his chest, stomach and ribs. What kind of scars? Well, some were crooked and hooked, others straight and long.

I barely noticed Kieran's smile, I was mesmerized. I knew Dante and Nero had some scars, but usually, after a while, they faded. But they were half-demons. What this beautiful creature was? I had no idea, to be honest. His red with yellow eyes, his sculpted chest, his calm, deep voice…

'You can see I'm not like your friends,' his voice woke me from my hypnotized state, 'but I'm not unlike them either.'

I opened my mouth, confused. 'What do you mean?'

He smiled, for the first time showing some teeth. They were sharp and white, and again, somehow non-human. 'I'm not a child of Sparda. I am, however, not from this world.'

_I figured that much out, thank you._ I tore my gaze away from his white perfectness (was that a word? …I don't care) and started making plans. Could I take the gun from him? Somehow I doubted he would be beaten by a simple gunshot.

Could I try to throw myself out of the car? Probably useless, he would catch me in no time.

Could I… try to find my sword? Very much an option, but not now.

I sighed softly. If only I knew more about this man. But I had no clue what his abilities were. I only knew Dante thought he was dangerous, and, frankly, that was enough for me to keep quiet and be a good little hostage.

'We are now headed for our next checkpoint, where we will travel on foot for a few hours and then stop for the night. That is all the information you will get for now.' Total relaxation was a good friend of his. It left an impression of power and control.

I tried to swallow the sudden lump of fear in my throat. I was getting sick and tired of not knowing where I was going and why I was going there. My fear slowly transferred to anger, and from anger to fury. What was the reason this was done to me? Who was this asshole next to me who obviously felt superior to the rest of the world? And why –

_Keela!_

I abruptly stopped my line of thinking and glanced behind me through the small window in the back of the limo. Nothing. Was I just imagining things because I thought about him or –

'Keela!'

Kieran looked up as well. But he didn't look at the back, but at the roof of the car. I followed his gaze. That voice was recognizable enough.

'KEELA!' Okay, now it was very close. A soft thud sounded somewhere from the back of the car. I glanced back again, but saw nothing.

Suddenly the point of a sword broke through the roof of the car. I gasped and let out a short scream of surprise. Come on, I had been on edge the entire time. You would have done the same, and don't you dare deny it.

I was sure the mystery creature next to me hadn't moved, but when I looked aside, the gun was suddenly in his hand. I looked up at the sword again, which was now hacking its way through the metal with some difficulty. I recognized it. Nero's sword, Red Rose. It was the slightly more evolved version of his older sword, Red Queen. The tip was silver and razor-sharp, and the middle of the sword had a broad red line, which was the engine of the sword, which made it possible to power up and send heat across the entire surface of the huge sword, damaging the enemy more and more with each swing.

Right now, the sword was roaring and tearing the roof apart, while the car was still moving. I pulled my legs up on the couch, scared of what to come.

With a triumphant "HA!" the sword retreated and Nero jumped through the hole in the roof. He had a mischievous smile on his face, and it only widened when he saw me. 'Keela. Needed rescuing again?'

Relief washed through me for a brief moment. 'Nero, thank you.'

Nero swung his sword back, cutting through one of the seats with ease and letting it rest lightly on top of the small refrigerator. He then moved his right hand forward, and it burst into blue light. A second later, his demon hand had been released. With his elongated claws he beckoned Kieran to come. 'Let's settle this now.'

_What? They're going to fight here?_ There was barely room to stand up!

Kieran obviously thought the same, because he held up his right hand – the one with the gun in it – in a defenseless move and smiled. 'I'm inclined to take this fight somewhere else. Will you follow me?'

Nero tilted his head slightly. 'Can I trust you? What if you start shooting at me when we're on the move? Can't have that now, can we?'

Kieran put his gun in its holster slowly. 'I give you my word, which is as valuable to me as my life. And you may keep your sword out, and be the judge yourself.'

I looked at my abductor's face, trying to see if he was honest. His red eyes showed nothing but pride at the moment, and… I believed him.

I nodded at Nero, who smiled a brief smile before straightening up a bit, almost bumping his head to the ceiling and ducking again. 'Alright. If Keela can follow us.'

Kieran's eyes narrowed the slightest bit and he tilted his head a bit. 'This is the limit, demon. When I win, she will be taken back with me.'

Nero let out a surprised breath. 'Ha. _When _you win? You are terribly sure of yourself, aren't you?' Well… lead the way.'

Kieran smiled, walked to the hole in the ceiling and jumped up elegantly, hoisting himself onto the car roof.

Nero beckoned for me to come to him and gave me a brief bear hug, his demon hand around my chest with a lot of held in force. I could just sense the power of it, so close to me. Then he released me – much to me desperation: I was dreading the outcome of this fight – and jumped through the hole. Then he offered me his hand. I felt tired, scared and desperate, and took it gratefully. After a second I stood on the roof of the moving car, the cold air whipping around my face.

I wondered why none of the other men came after us. They must have heard the sword ripping through the metal. Had Kieran given them some message?

'Keela.' I whipped my head to the side and saw Kieran hold out his hand towards me. I stepped towards him hesitantly, and realized I was going to stay close to him. He was my boss at the moment, and he wouldn't let Nero take me somewhere. With a brief glance at Nero I took his cool hand and was immediately swept up and in his arms before I could move an inch. His marble chest was still visible, and I tore my gaze away from it. I didn't put my hands around his neck, but then again, I didn't think it was necessary.

In two seconds time we were jumping through the air, Nero right behind us. In three thoughtless minutes I was on my feet behind Kieran with Nero about five meters across from us.

Kieran got out his gun again and aimed it at Nero. 'Are you ready?'

Nero took out his own double-barreled gun and aimed it at Kieran, beckoning me to step aside. I obeyed without question. This was going to be dangerous. I wanted Nero to win and take me home, let them have the stupid tablet and just live on my life as I used to. But something told me it wouldn't be that easy.

At the same time, Nero and Kieran jumped up and started shooting. I saw one of the bullets travel in my direction and quickly dodged it using a back flip. It was from Nero.

When I looked up at the fight I realized Dante had been right. I was no match for Kieran. The speed with which he dodged Nero's attacks was incredible. He blocked Nero's gun with his hands and legs and always showed up behind my friend. Nero was struggling to keep up with him. I feared he had no chance, I had to do something!

I started running towards them, but before I knew it Kieran was standing in front of me, his arm pushed against my chest to stop me from moving. He kept watching Nero, who was charging at him. 'This is not your fight. I don't want you to get wounded.' He glanced at me very briefly before blocking Nero's attack with his shoulder, using it to ram him. I started taking small steps back again. Kieran's expression had warned me and scared me.

His eyes had flared with passion and when I focused on his moves I could see they were starting to get more offensive. His defense never failed, though, but he started countering Nero's attacks.

Nero jumped up again in a big flip and fired his gun at Kieran… but he wasn't standing there anymore. Instead, he flashed behind Nero, took his arm, twisted it backwards and in the same maneuver, set his feet firmly against Nero's back and pushed himself back into the air firmly.

Nero yelled and closed his eyes when he hit the ground hard. I gasped automatically, but he jumped up immediately and pushed his arm back in its socket. He rotated it loosely and shook his head at Kieran, who had landed easily after a beautiful back flip.

'Okay. Play time is over.' Nero jumped at Kieran again, meanwhile firing his gun, but changed direction when he was very close to the man. Kieran, however, foresaw this and with a simple arm movement he floored the younger man.

'Nero!' I had to restrain myself from running towards him again.

Before Nero could get up Kieran pointed his gun at him and shot him in the stomach. I screamed and fell to my knees. 'STOP!'

Nero clasped his hand over his stomach and couched up blood. Kieran walked around Nero and aimed his gun at him again. I gasped in advance, but he didn't shoot. 'Listen. Miss Scargill and I are not doing this voluntarily. This is necessary. Saving her won't succeed. You yourself are beyond saving.' During his little speech he had dropped to a squat. Now he stood up again and aimed his gun at Nero's chest. Without hesitation he shot again.

I clasped my hand over my mouth when I heard Nero scream. The boy would survive, but he was too weakened to fight back.

Tears welled up in my eyes, and I couldn't hold them back. 'Stop,' I cried. 'Please, stop!'

Kieran, about to shoot for a third time, lifted his gun and started walking towards me. Suddenly Nero grabbed his leg, forcing him to stop. With blood spatters around his mouth he tried to speak, but couched again instead. The next try was more successful. 'You… will pay… for this. We will get… her back!'

Kieran pulled his leg free and resumed his relaxed walk. 'You will try. You will fail.'

Without any more words he scooped me up in his arms and turned his back on Nero. I sobbed softly against his bare chest while he ran as back to the limo.

Neither of us noticed the dark red blur that kneeled next to Nero, picked him up and jumped out of sight again.

**Notes: **let me know what you think! I hope you enjoyed it, and again, suggestions are helpful and listened to!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

I sat next to my abductor with more repulsion than before. He had hurt Nero. Badly. He had taken me back to the stupid limousine, and furthermore, he had put handcuffs on me. Why? How the hell should I know, he hadn't explained!

I refused to talk to him the rest of the way. Instead, I thought about several things. First of all, where were we going? Since the motive was unknown in this case, that would be hard to figure out. I should focus on motives first.

Second, who were they and how would they treat me? Also very important. I should study them thoroughly. Kieran was obviously the most dangerous, but the others could maybe be turned into allies.

Third –

'We've arrived.'

I noticed the car had stopped and glanced at Kieran for the first time since we got back in the car. _Miss Scargill and I are not doing this voluntarily. _'Did you mean that?' His eyes rested on my face, no expression in them at all.

He opened his mouth slightly before letting his deep voice ring again. 'Is that your question for today?'

He didn't ask me what I meant. He was a good reader. I had to admit I had forgotten about the one question a day deal. 'No. It isn't.'

Kieran tilted his head slightly. 'I suggest you wait with your question until after tonight's dinner. It will take a while, and you can think about what happened so you know what you want to ask.'

The door opened and he stood up, reaching out for my hand. I hesitated. Kieran raised his unnerving stare to my eyes once again and bowed lightly. 'To take away your doubt, let me say this. I don't lie.'

I believed him. I don't know why, but he seemed so sincere… and I was just sure this was the truth. I took his hand and was pulled up. The next second I was out the car, Kieran's hand on my shoulder and surrounded by at least eight men. I held my head high and looked at them all with a what I hoped was a neutral expression. I didn't want them to hate me, but I didn't want them to think I was weak either.

Kieran gently urged me forward, into the middle of the men. I had a strong urge to shake his hand off, but resisted it. That wouldn't come across as innocent.

It was still dark, but I guessed half an hour had passed since we started to drive. I could see the time when the sun rose, it was too cloudy for me to see the stars.

The men all wore travel clothes, that much was obvious. The clothes were dirty and looked ragged. Some of them wore a leather jacket, one of them had a bandana, and they all left an experienced impression.

One of the men in front of me took a step forward with a dark piece of cloth in his hands. I knew what was going to happen, I had seen it before. You only know a fraction of my past. I have seen bad things. Very bad things.

The man had a sharp nose, stubbles and was in his thirties, I guessed. He had dark, strong eyes and thick eyebrows. His hair was brown and stood up straight in a fashion that fit him. He had a big scar on his cheek in a crescent shape.

His brown eyes sought mine and stared into them with a little compassion. It surprised me, actually. I had never perceived one of these beasts felt sorry for me, even if it was only a little.

I nodded at the man and he raised his hands, starting to bind the cloth around my head.

'I will carry you to our destination. You understand we cannot let you see the way.' His voice was rough and passionate, and I felt I could come to like him. Well… if he hadn't kidnapped me, that is.

I nodded. 'Yes.' The cloth was bound around my head and I couldn't see a thing. Kieran slightly pinched my shoulder. Suddenly his mouth was close to my ear, whispering softly, startling me. 'I give you permission to speak.'

I opened my mouth, but didn't know what to say. I knew they were waiting for me, and I tried to think things through, but I couldn't handle not seeing anything very well. Especially not when surrounded, without a sword. I felt threatened.

'Do I have permission to sleep in your arms?' I asked, because my body was tired and my mind needed to rest.

The men around me started to 'ooooooh' and make stupid remarks to the man who was going to carry me, who they called Wolf.

'Enough.' Kieran's voice shut them up immediately. 'Wolf?'

Some rustling could be heard in front of me. 'Yes, you have permission.'

Kieran let go of my shoulder and suddenly I was being scooped up and pressed against a rough fabric. I felt the arms holding me were muscled, and surrendered to the helplessness I had felt ever since Nero had been defeated.

I woke with a start about three hours later. Stiffness ruled my body as I tried to stretch and hit somebody in the face with my handcuffed wrists. 'Ouch… hey! I'm carrying you, alright?'

I tried to look at the source of the voice, but the cloth was still before my eyes. 'Sorry.' I pressed myself against the fabric again, and noticed we were moving. Not running or anything, because my luggage carrier was standing still. No, we were moving differently. Wind was whistling in my ears, and my hair whipped around my face.

Damn my curiosity! I couldn't stand not knowing what was going on. Especially the not seeing part of it. So fucking annoying!

Suddenly we stopped moving and jolted forward a bit. Then my carrier started walking again, with long strides he stepped forward. Suddenly he jumped slightly, and we fell lower than we had been. I felt strangely weak, but struggled to get into a more sitting position.

'Hey, easy!' Wolf's rough voice was close to my ear. 'It's not easy carrying you like this, so don't – wow!'

We were off balance for a moment, and then I was falling, but landed on top of something robust and steady.

'Goddammit!'

Laughter rang all around us, and I was hoisted on my feet by two pair of strong hands. 'This isn't working, Kieran!' was said somewhere from my right. Wolf again.

'I believe you're right. Keela, I'm going to remove your blindfold. Alright?'

I nodded, feeling unsecure. Where were we? The air was incredibly warm and dense, and the sun burned on my skin. My jacket was way too hot, and I longed to take it off. But I couldn't, not with the handcuffs.

I felt hands slightly touch my hair as the blindfold was tugged loose. When it was removed I slowly opened my eyes, blinking at the blinding sun. I turned my head away from it, it was too bright after such a period of darkness. After a few seconds I raised my head, ready to see where I was. I ignored all the men who looked at me expectantly and observed the background. We were standing in an enormous plain of sand, with small groups of trees everywhere. The trees were strange, she had never seen them before. They bend and twisted around, which made them trees you could climb in without problems. They had different growths: one had something like needles, the other had regular leaves.

I looked at the sun, and saw that it wasn't standing on its highest point anymore. It was probably around three in the afternoon. Later than I had thought, for sure.

A hand touched my shoulder and I glanced behind me, seeing Kieran smiling at me. I took on a tired expression. His smile wasn't warming or anything. It filled me with dread.

One of the other men stepped forward and put his hand under my chin, forcing it up to look in his eyes, which were cold and poison green. 'So, you're going to be our little prisoner?'

I snarled at him, but he only laughed. He stepped a little closer, close enough that I could smell his breath, and said, 'We're going to have some fun, you and I.'

I almost pulled up my lip, but remembered I was completely human and stopped myself from doing it. I was tempted to spit this man in his face, but didn't do it. It would be trouble.

Kieran whirled me around gently, breaking the creepy man's grip. 'Have you seen enough?'

I opened my mouth, trying to figure out what he meant. 'What…?'

Kieran stared into my eyes with his own red ones. 'Are you ready to sleep again until tonight?'

I looked around for a second and saw the men were all looking dead serious. I turned my gaze back to the unnerving red ones and tried not to flinch. 'I guess.'

Kieran smiled, showing his teeth for the second time ever. He released my shoulder with one hand and waved it in front of my face slowly, just once. I tried to pull up an eyebrow, but was too sleepy.

Then my mind was out of my body and slipped into unconsciousness.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes: **This may be a bit of a strange chapter, but I was in the mood. This was all be explained later in the story, so bear with me please ;) thanks for all the good reviews, you are great!

**Chapter 7**

I woke up again with a jolt – well, woke up, I kind of slipped back into my body – and immediately sat up straight, breathing heavily. What the hell had happened? I – wait. GODDAMMIT!

I was bound again. This time, there were my handcuffs, and a new chain, this one around my neck. How dared they! The chain wasn't very thick or heavy, but it was definitely strong and uncomfortable. Well, alright, there was some kind of collar around my neck and the chain was attached to that, but still, how dared they!

I was sitting against a tree trunk a few meters away from the main camp. In the time I was… well… _out_, they had made a big fire in the middle of a couple of trees somewhere in a desert. At least, that was what it looked like. As far as I could see from my sitting position, the place we were camping had a lot of hills, and a LOT of sand. Somewhere in the distance a couple of trees could be spotted, like the ones we were camping next to.

I examined the chain binding me a little more, and found out that it was connected to the tree behind me, but somewhere high up. It was pretty long, as well. I could stand up without problems, and I could even walk a few paces. I cursed my handcuffs for about four minutes and then sat back down, realizing I was hungry and cold. Those men were all sitting next to a big fire, but I wasn't. I was wearing a leather jacket, but it was still kind of cold, while it had been too hot in the afternoon. The sand was cold, and the feeling inside of me was cold as well. The knowledge that Nero had been hurt so easily and that my captor was stronger than anything I'd ever seen chilled me to the bone.

'Here.'

I looked up with a hostile expression. One of the younger men I had seen before was standing in front of me, holding out a blanket. I didn't take it from him. Instead, I studied him. His eyes were bright blue and quite innocent, and his younger exterior made him seem out of place. I guessed he was about Nero's age. His hair was blond and short and rested on his forehead, making him appear even younger. He was wearing earrings and a necklace with a tooth of some animal. His full lips were firmly pressed together when he looked down at me.

He beckoned with the blanket. 'Take it. The night's just begun, and it will be cold.'

I looked down at my handcuffed hands and lifted them for him to see. 'I'm afraid taking it will be difficult.' I pulled up an eyebrow to show him what I meant.

He squatted next to me, and my first instinct was to scoot over, away from him, but I resisted it. Instead I watched with interest as he conjured up a small key from one of his pockets. He took one of my hands and pulled it forward, pulling me with it. His hand was warm as it touched my skin, and I found myself longing to wrap him into my arms, to get his body temperature close to mine.

I was either very cold, very delirious, or very weak when it came to hot guys. Because he really was handsome. Young, cute, muscled, and slightly innocent. That seemed like a perfect combination, didn't it?

He inserted the key into the lock of the handcuffs while holding my hand. 'Miss Scargill, I'm Ryan, and I'm supposed to take care of you while you are captured. Whenever you need something you can just call me from here, and I will come to you,' he explained while he took off the handcuffs. As soon as he released my hand I pulled my wrists toward me, rubbing them in turn, to get the blood flow back to its full capacity.

'I will provide you with the best aid I can, but you must understand I cannot do everything.' He looked me in the eye while he said that, and I had to admit he stopped my breath for a second. But then I smiled a weak smile at him and looked into his pretty, emotionless eyes. 'So you're my babysitter?' I asked, thankful for him being not rude and creepy.

He didn't nod or shake his head. Instead, Ryan looked away from me to the camp and back. He bend forward, leaning close to my ear, and whispered, 'Kieran's message is still the same. We're doing this involuntarily. Most of us.' His voice let a little bit of emotion seep through when he said that, making him sound even younger.

I looked at him curiously. Words formed in my head and I uttered them without thinking them through. 'Will you protect me?'

Ryan took my hand again, quickly glanced over his shoulder to check if anyone was watching and then his innocent eyes stared into my not-so-innocent ones. 'It's my duty.' Then he got up without looking at me and he swiftly walked back after throwing the blanket in my lap.

I kept staring at his back until he sat down next to the fire again. Tearing my gaze away from him I let my mind wander freely.

_He's with Kieran. Is he an ally? …he will protect me, and give me aid. I think that counts as an ally. And how about Wolf?_

I frowned while tucking the blanket closely around me. The man named Wolf certainly held no grudge, and I was sure I hadn't imagined the compassion in his eyes. He was not like that creepy guy who had sort of threatened me, anyway.

That guy! Shivers ran across my spine just thinking about him and his bright green eyes. I had to watch out for him. He was not impressed by Kieran's leadership if he had dared to go up to me like that, and that was worth thinking about. Was he not afraid of Kieran's power? Did he have authority?

Whatever the reason, this guy was dangerous.

A few minutes later my stomach was growling and my arm was hurting. I gasped for breath several times when a particularly painful sting ran through my arm. Fuck demons. They sometimes had poisonous claws. I was guessing mine had had them. Crap!

I clasped my jaws shut tight. I wasn't going to scream or moan or whine. No way.

After a few agonizing minutes I couldn't take it any longer. I started unwinding the bandage, slowly. And gasped again. Some patches of my skin were sticking to the bandage. That was bad. Very bad.

Suddenly a pale, cold hand grabbed my arm gently and pulled at it. I looked up, frightened, and saw a red glint in the darkness at eye height. Kieran.

His deep voice reached my ears. 'Let me.'

I released the bandage and sat back against my tree (yes, _my_ tree), watching Kieran squat in front of me, studying my arm with interest. 'A demon's attack?' he asked, his deep voice emotionless.

I nodded, trying to ignore my heart, which was in my throat because he had frightened me with his sudden appearance. 'Yes. Yesterday.'

Kieran proceeded with unwinding the bandage. I clenched my teeth together when it hurt, but then, finally, the bandage was off. Kieran threw it on the ground carelessly, still focused on my arm. Then he tore his gaze away from my arm to stare into my eyes. 'You're friends didn't notice the poison?'

Poison! Ha! I was right! …Uh… hmm. Bad. 'N-No. They didn't.' Should they have? Should they have like… smelled it or anything?

'Hmm,' Kieran said. 'Now, what I'm about to do may seem strange, but I assure you it is necessary.'

'What are you going to do?' I started asking, but when I came to 'What – ' Kieran dipped his head to my arm and started licking the wound. I opened my mouth in amazement and trembles were sent down my spine. Kieran's tongue was somehow rough and raspy, and it hurt a bit while he licked the scratches, but it did make them feel better.

I closed my eyes and leaned back, focusing on the sensation. It made me feel weird. Very, very weird.

The handsome creature's tongue reached the end of the scratches and stopped licking. I opened my eyes a slit to see what he was doing and found red, fiery eyes inches away from mine. I gasped and stiffened (which hurt my arm) and tried to retreat, but couldn't. My tree was in the way.

Kieran's mysterious eyes were unreadable. They stared into mine with an expression I couldn't identify. Then he retreated slowly, his hands dropping my arm gently. 'I need to make preparations,' he said, his voice barely registering. 'I will be back in half an hour, and I will take the poison out.'

Then he was gone. I stared at his back with my mouth slightly open, wishing for – wait, what? No, I wasn't wishing for _him_! He kidnapped me, he handcuffed me, he was utterly gorgeous and I wanted to kiss him!

I opened my eyes wide. No I didn't. It was just the effect of the stupid licking. It had enthralled me somehow.

I started shaking my head. I was getting worse and worse. First I was attracted to Ryan, who I didn't know and who could be a giant asshole who would betray me for all I knew, and then I wanted to kiss my abductor, who had seriously injured Nero and who had kidnapped me because of – probably – some stupid stone.

That plainly sucked.

And apparently literally as well. Because when Kieran came back, he had my dinner with him (a small piece of meat, a chomp of bread and some cheese, and a small flask of – well, something alcoholic) and carried a small bowl, and when he explained to me what he was going to do, I was astonished.

'But isn't there another way?' I asked, desperately NOT wanting to feel the urge to kiss him and – er… do _other _things to him – again.

The red eyes just familiarly stared into mine again. 'Like what?' He almost sounded amused.

I frowned. 'Like… cut the poison out? Let it bleed out or something?'

The corner of his mouth pulled up. 'It hasn't spread yet, but it's starting. Bleeding you out is too dangerous. And would you rather I cut it out?'

I mumbled something unintelligible. Kieran's smile got wider and he gently took hold of my arm again. 'I thought so.' Then he bend down and – I tilted my head back and clenched my teeth shut – started sucking the poison out of the wound. I tried to keep breathing calmly and thankfully succeeded. I buried my nails in the blanket to keep myself from shivering.

Kieran stopped sucking and spit the contents of his mouth into the small bowl. I risked a glance at the bowl and saw the blood was very dark red and thick, while it came from my arm, meaning it shouldn't be like that, unless it came from my stomach. Translation: bad.

When his mouth touched my arm again I shut my eyes tightly, not wanting to see the somehow intimate exchange. Why did he make me feel like that? A few minutes passed while I tried to understand my feelings.

A shiver ran across my spine and Kieran paused in his fifth session. He looked up and when he smiled slightly his lips – full, handsome li- STOP IT! – were dark with my blood. 'Are you alright?'

I nodded frantically. 'Yeah. I'm fine.' _Please don't stop. NO! Get out of my head!_

His red eyes seemed to shimmer like the blood in the bowl, thick and strange. 'Are you in pain?'

I shook my head. 'No,' I squeaked, trying not to let my voice go ragged.

Kieran kept staring at me. 'I can't let someone else do this, because they might ingest it and they won't survive it. I will. Can you go on?'

I tried to analyze his face, but it had turned expressionless once again. 'I think I can,' I said, hoping it was true.

Kieran bent down again after a long stare, something like worry shimmering in his eyes for about half a second. Then it was gone again, and his soft mouth was attached to my arm once again.

The bowl was filled with black blood three minutes later. The blood whirled and turned in the bowl, never silent, although the ground wasn't moving. The next mouthful of blood Kieran spit out was the normal red blood again, and he bandaged my arm with new, clean bandage while I tried to get my breathing under my control once again. When Kieran was done, he stood up, taking the bowl with him, and stared into my eyes for a few seconds. 'You have interesting blood,' he said slowly, his voice soft and thinking.

I blinked. 'Ok. Thank you?' I wasn't sure what to say. 'Why?'

Kieran stood there with the bowl in his white hand. As I was watching, a drop of the black blood sort of jumped out of the bowl – that poison was crazy – and landed on his hand. It dripped down from his hand slowly, somehow making me shiver again. That beautiful creature has had my blood in his mouth. He had maybe swallowed some of it. It wasn't right. Somehow, this small thing – him maybe having my blood inside of him – didn't fit. I just didn't know why.

Somewhere deep inside something _did_ know why, but I couldn't touch the reason yet, not at that moment. It was out of my reach.

Kieran put his finger into the bowl and slowly brought it up to his mouth. Quite slowly, he opened his mouth and tasted the blood again, licking his lips afterwards. The whole scene had me shivering, to be honest. My legs seemed to be turning to jelly after all these shivers, and, sure enough, I felt my knees shake and knew I couldn't stand up for a while.

'Oh, I know why,' Kieran assured me. 'Is that your question today?'

I thought about it and nodded. 'Yeah. I think it is.'

Kieran smiled and startled me by suddenly bringing his face close to mine. I hadn't even seen him squat! 'Your blood… isn't like the blood of other humans,' he said, expressionless eyes staring into mine as they always did. 'It's not… normal,' he continued slowly, tasting the word _normal_ before speaking it out loud. 'I have tasted this sort of blood once before, but I can't exactly tell what it means. When I am sure of its meaning I promise I will tell you. ' He stood up as abruptly as he had bend down and before I knew it, he was standing a couple of meters away from me and my tree. 'Please eat your meal. We cannot use you weakened.'

I stared at his silhouette as he walked away and disappeared into one of the tents surrounding the fire. He had confused me multiple times in the last hour. I wasn't frightened – no, I was _terrified _that I might fall for the charms of my captor.


	8. Chapter 8

**Writer's note: And a little flashback. Hope you enjoy the past! Thank you for the reviews and favourites, I really appreciate it! **

**Chapter 8**

'Kid. Wake up.'

He muttered and tried to hit the person talking to him, but tragically missed and only managed to almost break his arm on the edge of a table.

'Nope, I'm over here,' the cheeky voice sounded from the other side. 'Listen to me. Wake up. You and I have a rescue mission to do.'

Nero's eyes flew open as he remembered why he had been unconscious. 'Keela!' He sat up straight, knocked his head against a hard wooden structure above him and went down moaning. 'Aww, that hurt!'

A very familiar chuckle made him turn his head, hand on his forehead. Dante was sitting next to him, legs up on the table where Nero realized he lay. 'Old man! What am I doing here? And where is here?'

Dante smiled a spoiled smile and draped his arm over the back of his chair. 'Here is our guest bedroom. And why you are here is because I followed your stupid ass when you went kamikaze. And when you were disabled, I brought you back here.'

Nero jumped up, careful not to hit his head again against what he now could see was a cupboard and kicked Dante's feet off the big table. 'You followed me? You saw me battle that guy and you didn't help me? You didn't stop him?'

Dante stood up slowly and shrugged. 'No.' In a second's time, he was standing with his back against the wall, Nero's normal hand holding his shirt's collar and his demon hand aimed at his face.

The kid's face was incredibly serious and furious when he frowned at him. 'Why?'

Dante smiled quickly and then, another second later, Nero was standing with his back against the wall, Dante's normal hand keeping his demon arm against the wall and his own (hidden) demon arm holding Nero's throat. 'Because I know the guy who did it. And believe me, you were lucky, kid. He could have killed you. Easily. He spared you, and I think I know why.'

Nero stared him straight in the eyes. Then Dante saw the acceptance dawn on him and let him go, lying down on the table himself. The kid sat down in the chair, chin on demon hand. 'That guy… who is he?'

Dante felt his smile disappear. He wasn't serious often, but this was not a time to be joking. 'First, that wasn't a regular guy. His name is Kieran. He and I have a… history.'

Nero frowned at him. 'How did you meet him?'

Dante knew his smile returned when he thought about the past times he had seen Kieran. 'We bumped into each other a couple of times,' he said, remembering their fights.

Nero sighed. 'Ok, that says enough. He was probably annoyed and you started an ongoing war. Am I right?'

Dante straightened up, without hitting his head against the cupboard. 'No, it was a tad different. He was impressed by my endless wit and he wanted to recruit me. I refused. _Then_ we started an ongoing war. And he managed to keep showing up when I was on missions alone.' _And kick my ass,_ he admitted to himself. But never would he say that out loud.

Nero frowned again. 'Then why didn't he take you, his enemy, with him?'

Dante held up one finger and moved it from side to side. 'That's not the important question. The question is, why did he take Keela? He got the demon stone, then why did he take her with him?' He thought he knew the answer, but waited to see if the kid knew it as well.

The younger man bend forward, leaning his elbows on his knees, wrists crossed. 'The stone, right?' he said slowly, obviously thinking hard. 'We don't know what that's for, only that it's a sign from Sparda. So… would he simply ask for a ransom?'

Dante shook his head. 'Too easy. He doesn't like it easy.'

Nero's brow creased up while thinking about it more. 'She is valuable to him… Because of her abilities?'

'Yeah,' Dante answered, standing up and striding out of the room. 'I thought so too.'

The kid followed him quickly. 'What abilities? Her demon-slayer abilities?'

Dante kept on walking. 'Really, kid, sometimes you amaze me.' He grinned to himself when Nero took the bait.

'What? With my awesomeness? Because you know I can beat your old ass anytime.'

He reached for his sword on the way out and walked out the door, not looking back. 'We've all seen that happen before.'

Nero was quiet for a while. Then he asked, 'You think Keela is alright?'

Dante glanced back to the boy and saw his face was sad but determined. 'Don't worry. She's tough,' he said, remembering the times they had fought together. 'She'll make anyone who hurts her wish he'd never even met her.'

He heard Nero laugh curtly and say, 'That's right. She actually made a guy cry, now that I think about it.'

Dante felt himself grin about the memory. 'You would cry too if she broke your arm.'

'I wouldn't, old man. And I bet you would like it.'

'Hey, I'm not that much of a pervert,' he threw in, liking the argument because he could think about his plan while Nero didn't suspect a thing. 'And you just don't appreciate strong women. Or curves.'

'Strong curves?'

'No, just curves.' _Kieran… what is your plan with Keela? I know she might have demon blood, I smelled that the first time I met her. I wasn't sure, but I think I now am. But why didn't you take me? The kid shouldn't be burdened with that, but I should be._

While Nero rambled on about him being old and a pervert, he thought back to the first time he had seen Kieran. It was twenty-two years ago.

With only sixteen years of experience, he had been young when the man had come to him. Kieran had come to him alone. What he had sought from Dante was hard to get, and they had fought a fierce battle where he had tried to defend his pride and his life.

His eyebrows creased when he remembered how the stand-off had progressed.

_He stared at the creature in front of him with awe in his eyes. His left arm hung uselessly by his side. With his right arm he clutched the side of his stomach where a big gash let his crimson life blood drip through his already blood-soaked fingers. He hated to admit it, but he was trembling with exhaustion. Blood was splashed around his feet and he was still bleeding from several cuts on several places of his body. His sword was lying several meters away, crimson with his own blood. _

_His chest raised at non-regular intervals, his breathing very rough and throaty. He stared at the creature in front of him with awe in his eyes. The black suit still looked wrinkleless and perfect. The slick black hair was still perfectly as it was supposed to be and there wasn't a spick of blood anywhere near him. He was answering Dante's stare with indifferent eyes. Then he spoke, his voice even and emotionless. 'You have been an amusing opponent. But I suggest you give up.'_

_Dante laughed a throaty and maybe a tad insane laugh. 'Do I look like I'm anywhere near giving up?' he answered, a pause between every three words or so. He raised his good arm. 'I'm just getting started!' Inward he was desperate. He couldn't win. Not in a thousand years. One more blow and he was finished, and he knew it. But he wasn't giving up._

'_Pity.' Kieran cocked his head to the side, looking a little interested. 'You seem a very interesting subject. It would be a shame to kill you.'_

_Dante laughed. The creature had slipped up. 'You can't kill me! I can't be killed.'_

_Kieran still looked at him with his head titled slightly. 'Not without the right tools. That's why I need your blood.' _

_Dante gestured at the ground around him. 'There's enough to go around. Just scrape it up.'_

_The creature blinked. 'Unfortunately it is not as simple as that. I need it fresh. But you intrigue me. So I will offer you a place amongst my men, right below me.'_

_The young Dante closed his eyes in disbelieve before opening them wide. 'Are you kidding? You-' A cough attack broke his sentence in half. '-are crazy,' he finished breathless. __'You think that I will join you? Now why and where did you get that idea?'_

_Kieran smiled. He actually smiled! His teeth flashed white and brilliant in a small grin. 'You would become more powerful than you can imagine. The standard promises. Only these are true.'_

_Dante laughed again. 'If I take place beside you, you won't take my blood?'_

_Kieran smiled again, baring his teeth. 'Oh, I will keep a reserve somewhere. For if you betray me.'_

'_And what if I refuse?' Dante asked, wishing he could lean on his sword. He was even too tired to reach for his guns, which were hidden beneath his coat. _

_Kieran's smile disappeared and his eyes shone dangerously. 'The standard threats. I will kill your lady friend.'_

_He felt the corner of his mouth go up. 'No you won't.'_

_The creature pulled up an eyebrow. 'And you know this how?'_

_Dante staggered a step forward. 'You're not that bad. You wouldn't kill a woman. And besides, Trish isn't here.'_

_Kieran sniggered again. 'You think you have me figured out? Maybe you have. Maybe you have not.' Suddenly, he was gone. Dante straightened up and before he knew it, the pain in his midriff had him doubling over again. He gasped for breath and stared at his own sword, now lodged in his own body. 'But did you expect that?'_

_The ruthless creature stood only half a meter away, holding the sword. He pushed the sword even farther into Dante's stomach, making him cough up blood. _

'_I guess... not,' he stammered._

_Dante tried to look up, to look at the creature's eyes and face, but he coughed again, and blood dripped out of his mouth. The pain in his midriff was absolutely terrible, but he had felt worse. A cool hand captured his chin and forced his head up. He stared into the red eyes with discomfort and challenge in his own crystal ones. A light growl rumbled in his throat. Even with his demon hand he couldn't defeat this creature, he knew that, but his demon temperament started showing. _

'_Oh no, no, no,' Kieran said, tilting his head to the side. 'You will not growl at me.'_

_The sword was quickly pulled out of his body and stabbed into his chest, breaking several ribs in the progress. Dante threw his head up and uttered a short scream of pain. His breathing was even more the gurgling of a dying man than before. _

_His mind half-gone from the pain and blood loss, his head dropped and he tried very hard to look at the creature's face. When his eyes finally came level to the red ones, they stared emotionless into his. 'Do not challenge me again. Now, will you or will you not join my cause?'_

_Dante grinned, his mouth filled with blood. 'Which is?' _

_Kieran smiled. 'Of course. I have forsaken to tell you.' His tone became more formal and his eyes had a slightly disturbing glimmer in them as they bored into Dante's. 'I am employed by someone who seeks to destroy all half-demons... except those in his service, of course. This task may change, if he feels like it. In my employment you will be well-fed, you have excellent equipment and no lack of reward.'_

_The young half-demon drew a deep, long breath and put his hands around the blade of the sword. 'I'm afraid...' he started, 'that you insulted... the wrong demon.' With a huge roar he activated his demon blood and enormous power trembled through his body. Kieran let go of the sword and moved suddenly, right in time to avoid Dante's demon hand from grabbing him. _

_Dante's crystal eyes started glowing and he felt the power oozing out of him in waves, striking down the vegetation in the area. With his demon hand he grabbed the hilt of the sword and pulled it out of him without effort. He waved it around, not feeling his injuries anymore, and smiled at the creature eyeing him with interest. 'You know... I don't care about equipment or reward. It's against my principles to destroy another half-demon. We're a rare breed, you know?'_

_He opened his arms en raised his head, straining his body and making a big wave of power and wind ruffle up Kierans hair and clothes. He felt a strange satisfaction at seeing the creature's otherwise perfect appearance disturbed and roughed up. _

_Rage slowly built up inside of him, making him less and less sensible. He staggered towards Kieran, dropping the sword and feeling an ancient force behind his movements. Deep down he knew he only had half a minute of power left, but he ignored the small voice telling him to flee. Instead, he attacked._

_Running with big strides, he left the blood behind him and drew one of his guns, aiming it at Kieran. Bloodthirst rose in his chest. He pulled the trigger and jumped up, mimicking Kierans movements. He smiled and fire again, but missed as Kieran dodged the bullet in mid-air by moving his weight to the side. When Dante reached the ground again, he snatched the abandoned sword from the ground with his demon hand and started hacking and slasgin, trying to draw at least one single drop of blood from the perfect creature in front of him._

_Kieran stepped back in perfect synchronization with Dante's own chaotic footwork, meanwhile dodging the warm steel of the loud-roaring sword. A red haze clouded Dante's sight, and infuriated he slashed even fiercer, combining speed and power in lightning fast combo's._

Fifteen seconds! _flashed through his head. With the few rational thoughts he had left, he gathered that Kieran seemingly had some trouble with dodging his attacks, and the rate that he attacked with. _

_Suddenly his sword made contact: the utter tip of the steel scratched Kierans cheek. Blood clung to the warm tip of the weapon, and the same dark blood dripped down the creature's cheek. Dante smiled in delight and prepared to swing again, but he stiffened with his arm drawn back when a needle suddenly sunk into his neck painfully. With glowing eyes he stared at Kieran, who slowly took the blood from his vein with a calm expression. He had moved too quickly for even a demon's eye to see. Dante's rational thoughts returned slowly. His surge of power was over. Trembling from the strain of standing up he opened his mouth, blood escaping from his lips. 'What are you?' he uttered, barely taking in when the red eyes flashed to his. _

_Rage, control and understanding fought for the upper hand in Kierans eyes, but Dante didn't see it. His own eyes were staring into the red ones, yes, but he didn't see anything. His eyes were glassy and dull. The only thing keeping him standing was the hand on his shoulder. Then the needle was withdrawn and the hand disappeared. Dante slowly toppled to the ground. When he hit the cold earth, his chest barely raised, leaving him unconscious next to the creature. The red eyes continued to stare at him. 'Not unlike you,' he answered softly, before disappearing into the shadows._

'Old man. OLD MAN!'

Dante opened his eyes a little wider and pulled himself back to the present, away from the memory. 'What, kid?'

'What the hell were you thinking about?' Nero asked him, waving with his hand impatiently.

Dante smiled his crooked smile. 'Not important right now. We have to tail Keela.'

Immediately, the teen was distracted. 'Right. You know where they went?'

Dante smiled to himself. 'Yes, I know.' He ran to the right, his cloak trailing out behind him. He knew where the creature was going, and he had to stop him. All he had to figure out now was how to do that.


End file.
